Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I loved The Weight of Feathers. This book is beautiful and dreamy and oh-so achy. You can see my full review, HERE.Today, I'm thrilled to be interviewing author Anna-Marie McLemore as part of the blog tour.

Welcome to Love is not a triangle! __________________________________________________________

LAUREN: If you could describe The Weight of Feathers
only using quotes from your book, which would you pick?

Anna-Marie McLemore: “Her hand found the feathers
under his hair, soft and thick as river grass, and she kissed him back. She opened
her mouth to his and pretended the sky was water.”

LAUREN: I think I've died of swoon. This book is filled with gorgeous words, though that's definitely one of my favorite sections. Speaking of the sky and water, Would you rather be a mermaid in the water or a winged
faery in the trees? Did you try out any of these feats as you wrote this book?

A-MM: I love the quiet glamour of the winged performers, but I’d
be a mermaid. I adore being in water, and I actually have a mermaid tail. It’s
red, and so much fun to swim in.

LAUREN: How fun! I'd pick mermaid too. I've been obsessed with them since I was a child. I'm fascinated by the traveling performer culture you
depicted in The Weight of Feathers. Did groups like the Paloma's and
Corbeau's exist in California - or the US? I'd love to know more about your
research and how much history is in this story.

A-MM: I did a lot of research on traveling shows. About what life
is like for these families (these shows are often run by families, and if not
they quickly become like families to each other), about the struggle to make a
living as performers (there are a lot fewer of these shows than there used to
be), and the pride these performers have in their art. The Palomas’ and the
Corbeaus’ shows themselves are fictional, though the Palomas were inspired by a
longstanding mermaid show in Florida.

LAUREN: Lace and Cluck's story is beautiful
and lyrical, but these two have also been heavily weighed down by their
own family's baggage and beliefs. That makes it harder (nearly
impossible) for them to be together, but it also gives them a unique
understanding of each other. What's one positive quality Lace brings out of
Cluck and vice versa? If asked to describe each other in a few words, what
would they say?

A-MM: Cluck would describe Lace as loyal, defiant, and kind. Lace
would call Cluck brilliant, lonely, and strong. In different ways, they make
each other brave. Lace inspires Cluck to stand up for himself in ways he never
has. Cluck gets Lace to look twice at things she’s written off, to get close to
what she’s afraid of.

LAUREN: I love those two so much and am so glad they found each other. If you could hang out with Lace and Cluck for an
afternoon, where would you go and is there anything you wish you could tell
each of them?

A-MM: I’d go with them to see the wild peacocks Cluck counts among
his closest friends. And I’d probably tell them that you always carry with you
the things you survive. But that one day they become less about the things
themselves, and more about the fact that you lived through them.

LAUREN: Goodness, I'm tearing up from that last answer. Thank you for stopping by and chatting with me today!

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Night
Circus meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning young adult novel about two
teens who fall in love despite the almost impossible odds against them.

The Palomas
and the Corbeaus have long been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating
feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling
performers in competing shows-the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the
Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can
find.

Lace Paloma
may be new to her family's show, but she knows as well as anyone that the
Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply
touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away.
But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing,
it's a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace's life. And his touch immerses her in
the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family
against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in
the trees.

_______________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anna-Marie
McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and grew up in
a Mexican-American family. She attended University of Southern California on a
Trustee Scholarship. A Lambda Literary Fellow, she has had work featured by the
Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, CRATE Literary Magazine's
cratelit, Camera Obscura's Bridge the Gap Series, and The Portland Review.The Weight of Feathers is her first novel.

7 comments:

I haven't heard too much about this book but with the lyrical writing style and that author's response to your last question....I feel like I have to get this book pronto! Thanks to the both of you for a lovely interview :)

I've heard so many great things about this book lately! I love the quote that Anna-Marie used to describe the book. Definitely sounds like a beautiful read, will definitely have to check this out soon! Awesome interview (:

"And I’d probably tell them that you always carry with you the things you survive. But that one day they become less about the things themselves, and more about the fact that you lived through them." Absolutely one of the most uplifting things I have ever heard.

About Me

I’ve always been a reader. When I was younger, I read every single time I got into the car. Once I started driving, I had no idea how to get anywhere. I still take a book with me wherever I go – even if it’s just the kindle app on my phone – and read as much as I can (Don’t worry, I don’t read while driving!). When people ask me what I do for fun, I tell them: I don’t do crafts. I read.